Overview
- The state announced the temporary removal of director Enrique Mora García on Saturday, October 24, 2026, to prevent interference with parallel investigations by the Órgano Interno de Control and the Fiscalía General del Estado.
- Two violent clashes on October 8 and 9 left 12 people dead, including a visiting child, and dozens wounded during a visiting-hour riot followed by a second confrontation the next day.
- Inspectors recovered two pistols during a post-riot sweep, and authorities say judicial investigators must now determine how the weapons entered the prison and whether staff facilitated their entry.
- Marina and National Guard riot units were deployed to retake control, visits were suspended, dozens of inmates were later transferred to other facilities, and families are receiving support from the state victims commission.
- Officials link the violence to chronic overcrowding at El Castillo—which houses roughly 1,800 inmates—and the federal government has announced plans to build new penitentiaries as a broader response to capacity pressures.